Mental-Health Parity Is a Civil Right

Updated June 24, 1999 12:01 a.m. ET

In "Parity Isn't Charity ," editorial page, June 11, Steven Sharfstein and Sally Satel offer many commendable points, including the fact that health insurance coverage of mental illnesses makes economic sense for employers. Unfortunately, they are misguided in their argument that parity won't work and that broader insurance reform should be pursued instead, through tax-sheltered medical savings accounts and catastrophic health insurance.

First and foremost, parity is a civil rights issue--aimed at eliminating...